It is planned to carry out further studies on the vitamin B6 -catalyzed reactions of alpha amino acids and alpha keto acids in reaction systems containing various biologically important catalysts of the vitamin B6 series: pyridoxal, pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxamine phosphate. These catalysts will be studied with respect to their ability to promote metabolic-type reactions of biologically important alpha amino acids and alpha keto acids, such as transamination, racemization, decarboxylation, alpha-Beta carbon-carbon bond fission, and elimination of substituents at the beta and gamma positions. These systems will be studied in the absence and in the presence of various catalytic metal ions such as those of Zn(II), Cu(II), Al(III), and Ga(III), to assist in Schiff base formation and promote the metabolic-type reactions of the alpha keto and alpha amino acids. The experimental approach will consist of careful equilibrium studies to define the systems being studied, followed by determination of reaction kinetics under varying solution conditions and deduction of reasonable reaction pathways. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Beta-Decarboxylation of L-Aspartic Acid: A Metal Chelate-Catalyzed Reaction, N.Y. Sakkab and A.E. Martell, Bioinorganic Chemistry, 5, 67 (1975). Absorption and Circular Dichroism Spectra of the Pyridoxylidenalanato-aluminum(III) Complex, A.E. Martell and A.F. Eidson, Bioinorganic Chemistry 4, 277 (1975).